Hi, I’m Hank,

As an entrepreneur, coach, mentor, speaker and author on business, leadership and personal mastery, I am on a mission to help others step up and set a new standard for themselves, their families, their businesses and their communities and ultimately the world. I imagine a future where people Live On Purpose and spend their time building more of what’s right with the world instead of being defeated by what’s wrong with the world.

My personal experience of living in multiple cities in three countries from Durban South Africa to Sydney Australia, has given me first hand knowledge of going through massive change and achieving your goals against all odds.

I am passionate about Success, Growth, Connection and Contribution and that drives me to be the absolute best I can be so that I can inspire others to Love, Lead and Live on Purpose by Challenging, Teaching and Coaching them to be the best they can be so that together we can make a positive difference in the world.

My personal turning point came before the birth of my son in 2007. Even though I was quite comfortable as an executive in the ICT industry. I saw first hand that “if you don’t have a goal for your own life, you will be used by people who do” and I realised that…

"If you are part of a system whose primary aim is making money, unless you are adding value, you are expendable"

Are You Expendable?

With the amount of global disruptive change going on in the world today, particularly in the way we work, a lot of people are going to find themselves to be expendable. That’s unacceptable to me. So, to make sure people had the strategies and tactics to be more purposeful, flexible, resilient and less expendable, I gave up the security of corporate life and turned my passion of helping people to step up and succeed against the odds into my mission and my business.

To add massive value to you, I consumed a mountain of books, blogs, podcasts, white papers, TED talks and live seminars. I invested time and money to formally study leadership and personal mastery directly from the best schools and thought leaders so that I am now in the best position to help my clients with proven content instead of the get rich quick snake oil that seems to be the norm these days.

Ultimately, success is easy to explain, but not easy to do. It starts with self awareness, knowing where you are.

If you want to know how the #FOW is going to affect you. Take my free assessment and let’s start designing your strategy for #livingFOW (living in the future of work)

My work in Personal Mastery and Leadership Development over the past 20 years has seen me run hundreds of seminars ranging from one-day workshops to five-day residential seminars. I’ve worked in over 25 countries with thousands of people from CEO’s and supervisors in global brands to ordinary people who are an army of one with extraordinary dreams.

My first book published in 2011, “Live On Purpose – Mastery Class” forms the basis of my coaching philosophy and I was honoured to have Ken Blanchard personally endorse it.

“I’m a big fan of Hank van der Merwe and his book Live on Purpose – Mastery Class. Somebody told me recently that you should be yourself because everyone else is taken. I think Hank has a wonderful formula for helping you be yourself and for recognizing those aspects of your life that hold you back – as well as what you need to do to be your best. Read this book and become the you that you want to be.”

Ken Blanchard – Co-author, The One Minute Manager and Leading at a Higher Level

Love, Lead, Live On Purpose

Today, my goal is to create an active community of people who are a force for good and who “Love, Lead and Live on Purpose” by providing as much support as I can through free content as well as paid face to face and online coaching sessions and training programs.

My hankvdm signature coaching business is built around my mission of helping people show up, live their lives by their rules for their reasons and be a force for good. If you are looking to redesign your life by finding your purpose, creating lasting change, improve your personal and business relationships or build personal and professional resilience, then I’m here to help you live your extraordinary life!